How often should my russian tortoise poop?

[LJL1982]

And what food is it you have been feeding?

 

[Pebbles_and_Boulders]

And what food is it you have been feeding?

I have been feeding her collards. I tried radicchio and bell peppers but she won't try anything that is not green and leafy.

 

[LJL1982]

I have been feeding her collards. I tried radicchio and bell peppers but she won't try anything that is not green and leafy.

Radicchio they normally like because it's red. Tortoise shouldn't have bell peppers.

Have you tried looking on Tortoise Table Plant Database? You can put in lots of different plants and check of they can have them.

How about trying opuntia or hibiscus, or dandelion, sowthistle or hawkbit?

Aloe vera gets Tortoises "moving" so you have to not feed it as all of their feed but would be perfect for yours, you can also try pumpkin and banana to get them moving (only for this though as Russians can't have fruit).

 

[Cathie G]

I will switch her substrate then. I wasn't really liking the cypress mulch for her. When I got her they were unsure of her age. I'm not sure she is fully grown though. She is only about 5 inches long.

Hello.🤗 My little Russian is about a 20 years old male and he's only a 5×5 little tank too. Maybe you could add some escarole for fiber and hydration to the diet for a while. I allow Sapphire to have plenty of time to graze when he wants to also and I don't remove it. This time of year he eats at different times so I just keep doing his regular care on schedule. That helps him stay awake instead of brumating.

 

[Cathie G]

When I got my russian (a rescue) he didn't eat for 3 weeks. Your mantra has to be "time moves slowly for tortoises". I wouldn't worry yet.

When you get your camera working (or borrow someone else's) get us photos of her top, bottom, and backside, and the enclosure.

One of the best pieces of advice I got when I first started is - other than improvements for health & safety, stop messing with things. Every time you make a change to their space, unlike a dog or cat which will love their new toy or bed or cat tree, the tortoise is like WHAT THE **** IS THAT????? and can take days or weeks to decide its not going to kill it.

So true ☺️

 

[Pebbles_and_Boulders]

Radicchio they normally like because it's red. Tortoise shouldn't have bell peppers.

Have you tried looking on Tortoise Table Plant Database? You can put in lots of different plants and check of they can have them.

How about trying opuntia or hibiscus, or dandelion, sowthistle or hawkbit?

Aloe vera gets Tortoises "moving" so you have to not feed it as all of their feed but would be perfect for yours, you can also try pumpkin and banana to get them moving (only for this though as Russians can't have fruit).

That's perfect I'll try and find some aloe. I live in Florida so I might be able to buy a whole plant from a local nursery. Even if she decides she doesn't like I aloe it's good to keep around anyways. I'll pick up some bananas from the store, but a lot of the other stuff I either just can't find or are out of season which means I'll need to start a little garden of my own. I could find hibiscus anywhere anytime down here but not ones that I could be sure there are no pesticides on.

 

[Pebbles_and_Boulders]

Hello.🤗 My little Russian is about a 20 years old male and he's only a 5×5 little tank too. Maybe you could add some escarole for fiber and hydration to the diet for a while. I allow Sapphire to have plenty of time to graze when he wants to also and I don't remove it. This time of year he eats at different times so I just keep doing his regular care on schedule. That helps him stay awake instead of brumating.

I'll try to find/buy/grow some escarole. Pebbles is the name I have decided for her. I've only had her for one week. I know tortoises take their time but I just want her to be comfortable.